An Unexpected Romance
by MinimumRide1
Summary: This is 16 year old Max's first time going to a real public school. She doesn't know what to expect since she had always gone to a Elite Private School. She especially didn't expect love...All Human! Miggy and slight Fax. May be other pairings.
1. Prologue

Max POV:

Gahhh! The one thing I hate more than starting high school for the first time is- well, starting high school for the first time as a SENIOR! I didn't understand why my mom and dad didn't want me to go to a public school instead of that highly expensive private school where it doesn't matter what grade your in. That's right, it depends on your grades and you I.Q. score. that explains why my genius, 13 year old little sister was in my class with me. Its not that I'm STUPID- she's just really, really smart.

I think I should fill you in on a couple of things...my name is Maximum (Max for short) Ride.I am 16 years old and a senior in high school. (Impressive, right?)I have a 13 year old genius sister named Ella Martinez (she got our mom's last name and I got my dad's. My parents' names are Valencia Martinez and Michael Ride. What sucks about my life is that my father died when I was seven so now my mom is married to a man named Jeb Martinez, hints the sister's and mother's last doesn't suck is that Jeb let me keep my father's last name and he still treats me like his own even if I don't call him 'dad'.

Back to the present. Today was my first day of going to a real public high school and I was a nervous wreck. But of course me being the great Max Ride I didn't even show it. I let Ella choose my outfit and do my make-up since today was an oh so special day. I told her I wanted to fit in so I made her make me look like I was 18. I wasn't wearing anything slutty, I looked more mature though. I was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans that were ripped from my thighs down to my knees. My shirt was a lime green camisole with a black button down shirt which was unbuttoned. I wore a pair of lime green knee-high converses with black laces and my hair was down and straightened.I looked like I could pull off the 18 look. My make-up helped out too. It wasn't too much but enough to make me seem mature.

After 30 minutes of torture from Ella doing my make-up, (Hey, I never said I liked it), I finally headed to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast and I headed out the door with Ella in tow. We got into my black and red Ford Charger and headed off for our first day of high school.


	2. Chapter 1: The School

**(A/N) Second chapter! Whoop! This chapter shall be longer and some more of the characters will be introduced. Well, Let's get started!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I do not own Maximum Ride...Yet. Also I do not own the 'Max Ride Death Glare'**

Driving to school was pretty quiet but and kind of awkward but it also wasn't. I was busy watching the road and trying to remeber where I was going that I barely noticed Ella trying to get my attention. "Hey, Max?" she said. "Huh? Oh! Yeah Ells?" I glanced at her signaling for her to continue. "What do you think High School will be like? I mean, will we make friends and stuff like that?" I could tell she was really worried so I tried to reassure her. "Well, duh Ella. You're a pretty awesome little sister and anyone who wouldn't wanna be your friend must be a serious Dumba-" " Okay I get it Max!" she cut me off, Ella doesn't like when swear in front of her. I myself don't see why..."Sorry Ells, forgot your the angel child. I'm suprised you don't have wings growing from your back." I said with a mocking tone and a smirk. "Wouldn't that be crazy if there actually were kids with wings?" She asked with a serious face, I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I bet there is. I bet there's also werewolf like humans out there that are called 'Erasers'." I joked, at this point me and Ella were both laughing so hard I barely noticed the highschool coming into view.

As I pulled up into a parking space near the door, I couldn't help but think _'Wow, this is not what I expected' _ The school was called BridgeMont High. I forgot to mention, we live in Las Angeles, California. The school had three stories and was made of and brownish/orange-ish brick. There was a large mural all around the building and it was really pretty. There were trees surrounding the school and the grass was one of the prettiest greens I've ever seen. The school was breath-taking!

I was pulled out of my daze by the sound of a girly squeal. "Eeep! Welcome to BMHS! If you didn't know that stands for BrideMont HighSchool but we all call it BMHS. My name is Monique but you can call me Nudge. I don't know why people call me Nudge they say it's because I talk alot but I don't see it really. Do you think I talk to much? I'm a junior here and the co-captain of the cheerleader squad and I'm on the welcoming comitee! Oh and-"

Her rant was stopped by a girl with curly, shoulder length blond hair and wide, bright, innocent blue eyes. Let's just say she was kind of angelic. My mouth was wide open from suprise but when I looked at Ella she was...smiling? "Sorry about that. Now you see why we call her Nudge." said the angelic girl, "My name is Angel by the way. I'm also apart of the welcoming comitee." _Her name is Angel. How suprising._ note the sarcasm.

I had just realized my mouth was still open when I heard Ella say, "Close your mouth Max, something might fly in there." I turned to Ella and gave her my 'Max Ride Death Glare'(it is copyrighted) And said to her "You be quiet before I make your mouth unable to shut then you'll be the one catching flies!" She cringed and turned back to Nudge and Angel. "Hi. I'm Ella Martinez and that thing over there-" she nodded her head in my direction."Is my older sister Maximum Ride, but we call her Max. We're new here. We used to go to a private school until now. She's a senior and I am too."

"Yeah, we've heard about you guys round the school, that's why Nudge and I are here. To show you around." The Angel girl said while the Nudge girl was nodding enthusiastically, "We're gonna show you around the school and introduce you to the teachers. Oh!, and we're gonna take you to the office to get your schedules."

"Yupp! I can't wait for you guys to meet all of our friends! They're all super excited to meet you! I guess you can say we were your first friends! ZOMG, you guys can totally sit with us at lunch..." Nudge was saying but I tuned out after that much. We had started walking into the school when I finally noticed Nudge's appearence. She was a dark skinned girl but not too dark, she was more of mixed. She had curly, brown, kind of puffy hair that went just past her shoulders. She had high cheekbones and pretty brown eyes. She was almost as tall as my 5'8, but a little was wearing a black and gold cheerleading uniform with the word 'Hawks' on it. Angel also had on the uniform. She had tanned skin as if she just came from the beach. She was a bit shorter than Nudge but not by much.

We took a tour of the school, got our schedules and met our teachers. Once we put our stuff in our lockers, the bell rang and we headed off to our first class of a very long day.

**Well that's all for now! Next chapter will be up whenever I write it! The rest of the characters will be introduced in the next chapter! RnR please!**


	3. Chapter 2 Iggy's POV

**Yes! Finally a new chapter! It would have been up sooner but I kind of wrote it then lost it. :\ so I had to re-type this entire chapter! This won't happen again! I'll try to update sooner next time! Also thanks to everyone that reviewed and other stuff too! I ish still in search of a Beta reader and I'm also starting to write a story for :3 Once again, sorry for the late update! I'll get back on track! I have big plans for this story. It's not gonna be normal but for me: 'Weird is normal and normal is weird': DD I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Iggy's POV**

I was in class waiting for the teacher to come while talking to some friends when all of the sudden, the teacher walks in with a girl that I don't recognize. Behind the new girl is Angel and Nudge. _I wonder how they know her but I've never seen her before._ I think as I watch the teacher as she starts giving an announcement.

"Okay class, this is Maximum Ride. She came here from Willow Branch Private School." she turned to the Maximum girl, "Would you like to say something?"

"Y-yeah. Well as you know my name is Maximum, but I preferred to be called Max. That's pretty much it." The girl called Max said. I was watching her the entire time. I couldn't help it though, she was...Beautiful. She had a beautiful shade of honey brown hair with blond streaks and the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes I'd ever seen. She was smiling lightly at the class and had dazzling white teeth that most people would die for. She had a cute nose, almost like a button and had light freckles on her face.

She must have felt me staring because next thing I knew, she turned her head and looked right at me. My eyes widened slightly but I couldn't bring myself to look away. She matched my intense staring before turning away with a slight blush on her face. _She's even more beautiful with the slight color on her beautiful face, _I thought to myself as I tried, but failed to look away. I must have zoned out because the next thing I knew, someone had hit me in the back of my head. Really hard.

"What the Crap!" I exclaimed, rubbing the back of my head to stop it from hurting so much, "Who in the hell hit me?" I looked around to see none other than my best friend, Fang, smirking at me.

"Dude! Why would you do that to the one you love so dearly and the one that's so close to your heart?" I put my hand over my heart dramatically and mocked pretend shock. Yupp, back to my old self due to a slap upside my head. I turned around to face him completely and I saw him looking at the new girl Max who was now talking to Nudge and Angel.

"So what do you think?" Fang asked, finally turning back to me. "Think of what? Mrs. Wilmer's hairstyle. It looks wonderful today if I do say so-" Fang cut me off by hitting me again.

"No you idiot. Of the new girl, Max." _So that's what he meant._ I mused to myself.

"What do you mean? She's a girl and she looks smart. What else do you wanna know?"

"I know you know that I know what you know what I wanna know." _That was confusing. _I thought as I tried to decipher what Fang had just said.

"Oh yeah" I said pretending to know. _I have no idea so I'll just tell him what I think of her. _"Well, for one she's super pretty, she seems smart and like she could be a really good friend." _Or more._ Was the unadded part to the sentence. Fang must have known because what he said next kind of surprised me.

"Yeah, I know. She's probably a better girlfriend than Lissa would ever be." I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but he just shrugged and continued. "Angel told me she and her little sister are sitting with us at lunch." After the sentence was out of his mouth, I couldn't help but choke on nothing and widen my eyes.

"S-seriously? I was just staring at her like I was a stalker maniac man who wanted to rape her! I have to apologize! I'll be back." I didn't even give Fang a chance to respond before I was out of my seat and walking over to Max, where she was now seated next to Nudge.

**Hey guys! That's all for now! I'm already getting started on the next chapter since it's been so long since I last updated. . Anyways...The next chapter will be Max's POV. It'll tell what she thinks of Iggy and when he apologizes. It'll also have lunch time and the rest of the day in it. I hope you guys enjoyed this! Also, thanks to all my reviewers! In the next chapter, I'll give my individual thank you. I'll get the next chapter up this week to make up for my lost time. Also, if anyone has any ideas of what should happen In the story, feel free to tell me! Criticism and compliments are always welcome so I'll be able to improve the story. :3 That's all! Read and Review please! :DD**


	4. Chapter 3: Lunch and an Apology

**Hey! I'm back already! This is gonna be the chapter for the rest of the day at school and maybe after? **

**Also I've never done this yet so I'll do it now.**

**Disclaimer: I don not own Maximum Ride. If I did, I would be and old man and the last time I checked, I wasn't...I think. .**

**Max's POV:**

Me and Nudge were talking to each other in class. We were allowd to do this today since we weren't supposed to be learning anything new. That made me so glad to start on this day. Nudge was rambling on about something that happened when she first started school, but I tuned out after a while getting lost in my own thoughts.

_I wonder why he was looking at me like that. I have to admit though, he was cu- I mean...He seemed nice. Yeah. That makes since. I definately wasn't about to say cute. Psh. No I wasn't. I don't think boys are cute! I'm Max, The Great Maximum Ride. Huh, but it's not bad to think boys are cute right? _I was so caught up with the rambling in my head I didn't even notice Nudge calling my name.

"MAX! EARTH TO MAX! WAKE UP!" Nudge said while waving her hand in my face.

I would have jumped two feet in the air if it weren't for the desk in front of me.

"What is it Nudge! You nearly scared the life out of me!" Okay, maybe a little dramatic but this is me we're talking about. Of course I'm gonna be dramatic.

"Well, sorry you weren't paying attention for the last two minutes I was calling you. I realize it's all my fault you don't pay attention." I could hear the sarcasm in her voice so I decided to go along with it.

"Thank you so much for finally accepting the fact that your rants could make a therapist not listen. And you're forgiven. I wasn't really mad at you." I shrug and then I heard an unfamiliar chuckle. I tense then glance up at the owner of the laugh.

It's _him._

**Iggy's POV**

While walking over to Max and Nudge, I was nervous and jittery. It would be my first time talking to Max...Well, ever.

The thought of that only made me even more nervous.

_Calm down Iggy. She's just a girl. Breath in...then out. In...then out. _This was what I was thinking the entire walk over to them.

When I got there I heard Nudge rambling on about the time when I blew up the girls bathroom while she was fixing her make-up.

When I glanced over at Max, she had a far away look in her eyes as if she was deep in thought. _No wonder she's still alive. I'll have to ask her how she tunes Nudge out like that._ I thought to myself while I looked at her from where I stood in front of her desk.

"ZOMG! Hey Iggy! I didn't see you there. When did you get there I was just talking about you too! This is Max but you probably already know her name since she just said it but you don't _know, _know Max. She's my new friend. Oh! let me introduce you guys!" I stared at her for a minute before nodding at her to introduce us.

"Yay! Okay. Max...Uh, Max?" I watched Max, slightly amused when she didn't respond to Nudge.

"Hola! Maxie! ARE YOU LISTENING! Maximum Ride!" She was now waving a hand in front of Max's face.

...Two minutes passed and Nudge had done everything but hit her. " Just do what you do when this happens to everybody else Nudge." With that, she shrugs and says, " I as might a well. Thanks Igs."

I brace mayslef by plugging my ears and stepping back. Nudge got right to her ear and put her hand in her face...

"MAX! EARTH TO MAX! WAKE UP!" She screamed while waving her hand in her face.

Max immediately snapped out of her thoughts. She didn't seem to notice me so I just stood there and listened to her and Nudge.

"What is it Nudge! You nearly scared the life out of me!" Max said and I couldn't help but smile at her dramatic behavior.

"Well, sorry you weren't paying attention for the last two minutes I was calling you. I realize it's all my fault you don't pay attention." I had to give Nudge an epic high five later for that sarcasm. _The lesson I'm giving her are paying off_, I thought.

"Thank you so much for finally accepting the fact that your rants could make a therapist not listen. And you're forgiven. I wasn't really mad at you." She shrugs and I can't help but laugh at how nonchalant she sounds as if she were serious. Plus, it was funny alotgether.

She tensed up and slowly looked up at me. I blush slightly and look over at Nudge who was watching the entire exchange with curious eyes.

"Do you guys know eachother or something? It seems like it. I guess I don't have to introduce you guys." She then shrugs and looks at me with a smile.

"Actually Nudge, we don't know eachother. We do need to be introduced. So, would you do the pleasure of introducing me to your new friend?" I raise my eyebrow at her expectantly.

"Oh, well Max-" She turned to Max with a bright smile "-this is my friend Iggy. His name isn't actually Iggy, it's actually Jeffrey but we all call him Iggy. Iggy, this is Max. She's my new friend. She's really cool. Her little sister, Ella, and her are sitting with us a t lunch. Zomg! I just realized-"

"Nudge! Be quiet, we get it!" Max yelled.

"Thank you. You have no idea how bad I wanted to say that. My ears were about to start bleeding!" I smiled at her and held out my hand for her to shake.

"As Motormouth said, I'm Iggy." She took my hand and smiled.

"And obviously I'm Max. Nice to meet you." _Her hands are soft, _Was all I could think while I smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you too, Max. I like your name by the way. It fits you. Even though it's a boy's name it goes well with you. Not saying your a boy but it...just fits. Oh yeah, I wanted to say sorry for staring at you when you first came into class. I find you interesting and different. Not in a bad way of course. I just-"

"Gosh Iggy, you must be nervous. You're starting to sound like me." Nudge and Max both started laughing and I blushed. I looked down, embarrassed and notice I still had Max's hand. I couldn't get over how right it felt to hold her hand.

Max looked at me again and I reluctantly let go of her hand. "Well, I better go. See you guys later."

And with that, I left.

**Max POV**

The first few periods went by really quickly and soon lunch came around.

At lunch, Nudge, Angel and Ella came over to my locker so we could walk to lunch together. On our way there, I mostly tuned out the conversation. When we got to lunch, we got our food and went over to a lunch table with two boys I didn't recognize and there was Iggy. We sat down and just kinda stared at eachother until Nudge said something.

"Max and Ella, this is our main group of friends. The dark haired boy is Nick but we call him Fang. The blonde that looks like Angel is her twin brother Zephyr but we call him Gazzy...don't ask why. And Max you already know Iggy but Ella doesn't so Ella, that's Jeffrey but we call him Iggy."

Everyone said their greetings and lunch went on with talking about random nothings. All during lunch I couldn't help but glance at Iggy. A couple of times I saw Iggy do the same and when he would catch me, he'd look away and continue talking with the rest of the group.

**This is my longest chapter yet! I hope you guys enjoy. Sorry the rest of the day is kinda vague. I'll make sure to get everyone properly introduced and bring in some more characters soon. I'd would like to thank all of my reviewers. You guys are the reson I keep updating my story! There may be less updates because I'm starting to also write a story for but I'll update when possible! Compliments and Critism is always welcome! Review Please!**


	5. Chapter 4: Umm Is This Normal?

_**o.o... How long has it been? It feels like... 7 YEARS! I apologize for talking bazillion years to get this story updated! I'm gonna try to get a steady updating system working so this'll never happen again. But yeah, sorry if this chapter sucks and stuff! Anyhow... ON WITH THE CHAPTER! **_

_**Enjoy! :DD**_

**Max's POV:**

During lunch after everybody was introduced, we got into a comfortable conversation talking about our classes. I found out that I had three classes with Nudge- Oh goodness- one class with Angel-That, I can deal with- A few classes with the Fang kid and the rest of my classes with Iggy that, even though I'm reluctant to admit, I'm happy about. I would glance at him and notice him looking at me but all too soon he would turn away, blushing slightly. I then took the time to look at everyone else around the table.

Almost everyone was laughing at something Ella had said, which surprised me and I could help but smile at that fact. I looked over everyone's face and noticed that Fang kid staring at me. The difference between him and Iggy was that when he saw me looking, he didn't look away. Instead he smirked at me and winked. I couldn't help the blush that crept onto my face. That also made him smile wider.

_What is up with all of the attractive guys at this school?_

I'm not gonna lie, Fang was H.O.T hot. He had the most beautiful dark brown, almost black, eyes and long, black hair that made me wanna run me fingers through it and smell it all day. He had deliciously tan skin and just... the perfect face. He was the type of guy that could put super models to shame. He was tall, muscular and had that kind of gothic look to him but you could tell he was far from it. In other words, he was Mr. Tall-Dark-Sexy-Handsome-and Quiet. Yeah, I know I just ruined that but I'm just describing him...

Okay, maybe it was a tiny bit overdone... Who am I kidding? He's probably the face of every girl's _and_ boy's wet dreams...Ew, can't believe I just thought that. But it's true! That's the thing, no matter what I say, it's true! I could say the jock boys probably have fantasies about him and BAM! I find out its true. That's how gorgeous he is. It's almost as if he were made to be perfection.

_Goodness, I'm starting to sound like Ella... KILL ME NOW! NOOOO I AM MAX, MAXIMUM RIDE! I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE THINKING THESE THINGS! NUUUU! HELP MEEEEE!_

Before I knew it, I was standing up and panicking. Most of the cafeteria was staring at me like I was crazy, so I ran out and went to the girl's bathroom. I hunched over on the long sink once I got into the bathroom and looked at myself in the big mirror, I could hardly recognize myself.

_Whaaa... This isn't me! I like the clothes and shoes but the hair and makeup... That isn't me! _

This is what I was thinking to myself when I grabbed some paper towels, wet them and started wiping the makeup off of my face. I also wet my hair so it would go back to its natural, slightly curly self. Right after I was done, Ella came into the bathroom, slightly out of breath and with a concerned look on her face.

"Max, what's wrong?" she asked in a soft, worried, sisterly voice.

"It's nothing... I jus- I just didn't feel like myself. I'm starting to think like-" I was cut off by my own gagging. I got it under control and finished the statement. "Like... you." I couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

Ella walked over to me and smacked me upside the head. "Shush your face and give me a hug you evil man-woman." I gave her a questioning look at her choice of words but just shrugged it off and hugged her.

We were interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing so we left the bathroom and I walked her to class. I'm not gonna lie. I loved my sister to death but I just can NEVER think like her again. I might end up hitting myself with a brick.

Maybe then I'll be able to get Iggy _and _Fang out of my head.

As I'm walking in the class, there's only one thing I can think,

_Oh...Crap!_

There's only two seats left... and one seat just so happens to be in between the two boys that are occupying my thoughts:

Fang and Iggy... They both smile at me and wave me over. I reluctantly walk over and sit down and just then the teacher walks in and announces today's events.

_Dear sweet baby Jesus, I am screwed._

_**A/N: Mwahahaha! I Consider That A Cliff-Hanger. I'm probably gonna make the next chapter the last one at school and move on to the home life for Max and Ella. I'd like to thank everybody and I hope you liked it! Also special thanks to the reviewers. Your support really helped me and seeing the reviews made me realize that I have to continue writing! It's been too long and I won't let it happen again if it kills me! From now on, I'll try writing every weekend if I can. Wish me luck and of course, Review Please! **__:D Until Next Chapter!_


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's been a While. Let me warn you. This chapter may have some mistakes because I wrote this all today. It's New Year's Eve and I wanted to get this up before 2012! Well, here goes nothing~ Oh, this chapter is in third person omniscient POV. Just want to try it out. :D **

**Lalala~ Enjoy! And Happy New Years! :D**

**Third person POV:**

"Okay class, today we're going to start group projects. Oh wait, do we have a new student?" Everyone looked over at Max who had her head hung low and was blushing. Fang tried not to laugh at her while Iggy, for some odd reason, was also blushing.

"Come on up here and introduce yourself. What's your name?"

"Erm…I'm Max." She said as she stood up and walked to the front of the class. "I just started today. I was transferred from Willow Branch Private School for the Gifted…Heh." Everyone stared at her in awe, disbelief or stupidity while she stood at the front of the class, rubbing her arm nervously with her head hung even lower. Iggy couldn't help but smile at her antics. Everything about her was cute and adorable. The teacher clapped her hands in an excited manner and smiled warmly at Max.

"Do you know anyone in the class yet, dear?" She asked in a sort-of crooning voice. Max stared at her in shock before answering.

"Uh… yeah, I know those two over there." She pointed at Iggy and Fang, "Those are the only two I know though." They both looked up king of surprised and smiled. Iggy's smile was more genuine and happy than Fang's, Max thought, that can't even be called a smile. More like a smirk. I think I like both. Max then realized what she was thinking and blushed even more. She started wondering when it was that she started with all of this blushing stuff.

"Well, that's wonderful! I guess they can be in your group for our project then. It makes it a lot easier for me." She waved her hand in a nonchalant way that made Max think of her as a teenager.

"Okay, so the people in your group are Nick, Jeffery, and well, how about Lissa? Where is she anyways…?" Just then, a girl with flaming red hair and almost golden eyes entered the room. Max had to admit, she was pretty. She glanced over at Fang and Iggy to see Iggy grinning and almost laughing and Fang scowling. She couldn't help but wonder what that was about.

"Oh, sorry I'm late Mrs. Grinder. I had to visit the principal. Here's my pass." She walked over, with her hand out stretched and gave the teacher the pass. She then looked at Max with a curious glint in her eyes and turned back to Mrs. Grinder. "Who's this? I don't recognize her."

"Oh! She's our newest student. She just started here at our public high school. She transferred from Willow Branch." The teacher responded.

"Oh, really, what a change in scenery, huh?" She asked, directed to Max. Then, before Max could respond, she said something that Max would never expect. "I have friends who go to that school. They say that you don't have to be a certain grade, only in your I.Q group. So it's a bunch of different aged people. So, how old are you?" She had nothing but curiosity in her voice but Max couldn't help but get angry.

"Is it any of your business how old I am? If you needed to know I would have said something!" Max tried her hardest not to sound too venomous but it was a failed attempt. "Whoa, sorry I was just wondering. You look too young to be 18 so I was wondering!" Lissa held her hands up in a defensive manner.

"Well if you _must_ know, I'm 16. And my little sister, since you're so curious, is 13. Happy?" Max glared at Lissa and folded her arms.

"Calm down ladies," Mrs. Grinder chuckled nervously. "How about you both take your seat and I'll assign the rest of the groups. Lissa, you're in a group with Max, Nick and Jeffery. Now please, go sit down." Both girls started to walk over to their seats but Lissa was headed in the same direction as Max. Max jumped over the row of desks to her left, since Lissa was in front of her, and hurried to the seat she claimed in between Iggy and Fang. Lissa looked shocked then glared at Max and moved to a different seat. Heh, that's what she gets. Max thought, childishly.

The rest of the class insisted of people getting grouped up. After everyone was in their group, the teacher explained their project. They had to construct a play or a skit and perform it. It was also a way for them all to learn each other's personalities. It was an in-school and out-of-school project so they had to schedule times when they could meet up and they assigned parts and rolls. Max had to admit, she enjoyed talking to Fang and Iggy. Even Lissa to some extent but she would never admit that.

The first time they would meet up would be the next day at Iggy's house. They decided to meet up after school and they would do their homework together. Max was kind of excited to go to Iggy's and Iggy was excited to have Max over his house even though they just met. Fang was kind of distressed to have to work with his girlfriend, Lissa, and work with Max. Fang couldn't help it, he kind of liked Max already. He had planned on flirting with her a little to get her to like him back and then he'd as her out. Those plans were now ruined since Lissa was in their group_. Maybe some other time_, he thought.

For some reason, Fang didn't have a problem with cheating on Lissa. He thought as long as Max didn't find out, he'd be fine. If he liked Max more, he'd dump Lissa but if he still liked Lissa more, he'd dump Max. Lissa had cheated on him before so he figured no hard feelings.

Lissa already didn't like Max. She thought Max was an immature bitch. Max had no right to talk to her like that when she was just curious. She could also tell Max was trying to flirt with her Nick. Well, she couldn't have him. Not on her watch. She'd make Max's life Hell.

Max looked around at her group. Fang had a sort of mysterious, yet mischievous look on his face. Lissa looked like she wanted to pounce on Max and slap her a few times. Iggy, she liked Iggy's look the most. He looked back at her with nothing but happiness and maybe, just maybe, some type of affection.

Lalalala Lalalala lalalalalalalalela Do dododo doooo~ Woooo-oooo~ :D

**Author's Note: Well, I think that was a good way to end the chapter. Sorry if it's short and Happy New Year's! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Third Person POV:**

The last bell of the day finally rang and Max couldn't be happier. At her old school, nobody really paid attention to one another's personal life because….well, they could care less. To say she wasn't used to people being so curious about her would be an understatement. She was glad that she could finally go home with Ella and relax.

Well, she was wrong.

**Max's POV:**

"Max, guess what? No, don't guess! Angel and Nudge invited us to hang out at the Mall with them today!" Ella exclaimed as soon as she saw me. I barely had a chance to unlock the car door when she ran into me. I stared at her for a moment before giving my Oh, so heart felt answer.

"No." She pouted and decided to be the child she is by crossing her arms and stamping her foot.

"That's not fair! They're the first friends we made and you don't even want to hang out with' em!" She pouted even more when she said this. I knew she was going to start being stubborn so I had to make a quick excuse. Too bad I suck at lying to Ella.

"We...uhh… we have to have family dinner! Yeah… they didn't tell you because it's… a surprise! Yeah, that makes sense. Aunt…. Frieda is coming to visit from… where she lives now." I stumbled out. Yeah, I knew she was going to fall for it by the look on her face. I guess I can lie to Ella.

"Aunt Frieda died two months ago." She deadpanned.

Apparently I can't lie to Ella.

This leads to why Nudge, Angel and Ella are dragging me around the mall, literally…

I'm currently being dragged around the mall by these fashion crazed waakadoons. It's not fun, at all. They forced me into a bunch of 'pinks' and 'pastels' and slapped me into a bunch more face goop than necessary. All I heard from them is stuff like "Oh, that shade of pink looks so good on you!" and "Zomg, you should like, totally get those shoes! They make you look all mature and sexy! I wonder what they look like on me…. OMG! Max, you have to let me get these for myself! Look at them! LOOK AT THEM! Can I get'em? Pleeeeeeeeeeeaseeeeee?" Try to guess which one was Nudge.

Now, around 6:00 p.m. - Which means we spent 3 hours and 45 minutes at the mall- Ella and I are finally on our way home. It was usually a 15 minute drive but since I like to drive fast, It was 7 minutes even.

"You drive like a mad woman on crack that's in search of her baby while being chased by the cops." Ella said while we were walking to the front door. Now I see that being over-dramatic runs in the family. Of course, now my mom proves that theory to be correct.

Before I can even go onto the first step, my mother slams the door open and screeches. "WHAT HAPPENED?! I WAS WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU GUYS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Her voice cracked at the last word as she crumpled down onto the porch in a heap and burst out crying. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Ella and I rushed up to her and helped her into the house. I made sure to shut and lock the door on my way in. It's a habit. We walked her into the living room and I sent Ella to get some hot chocolate while I got mom settled down.

"Mom… what was that about?" I ask her hesitantly, all the while holding her gaze steadily. She gives me a sheepish shrug but before I can protest, she explains, "I…I was scared something might have happened to you guys. I wasn't expecting you guys to come late and you know how it was with your father." I do know. My father had gone out to pick up the groceries that mom needed to get ready for Thanksgiving. He never came back. The next time we heard something of him is when they want mom to identify his body.

I give her a small nod while I think back on the past. Before Valencia and Ella came around, it was just me and my dad. I was like that until I turned five and he remarried. I never knew who my real mom was and I don't plan on finding out, either. If it weren't for Valencia's caring nature and her love for me and my father, I would have been in some foster home or maybe worse.

Just then, Ella walks out of the kitchen, trying to steady three mugs of hot chocolate and some sandwiches on a tray mom got for her birthday. I smile at her fondly while getting up and helping her. We all settle down on the couch and talk about our days since mom wants to know all about it. We settle down some and decide to eat some ice cream from the tube with forks instead on spoons and watch Lifetime.

We're watching our second movie when Jeb comes in from work. He sees the three of us and smiles. I already know what he's thinking when he sets his briefcase down, takes off his shoes and heads into the kitchen. I scoot away from mom and move closer to Ella. She looks her for a second but she then sees Jeb walking in with a fork in his hand and we open up the blanket- that magically landed on us- up to him so he can join us. It's times like this that I love my family the most. Ella and I end up re-telling how our day went for Jeb and before we know it, we all fall asleep on the couch, huddled up together like the happy, loving family that I know we are.

It's times like these that are bittersweet, I don't know whether to be happy with the makeshift family that I have or be sad that I'm not related to them and the fact that my father is gone.

**Author's Note: I finally found some time to update. I apologize for making the wait long. I hope this chapter was okay! It was 1,028 words which is pretty good for writing on a whim. Thank you for reading this, I very much would appreciate any feedback, good or bad. **


	8. Chapter 7

Max's POV:

I wake up to the sound of a gunshot. After I frantically look around, I realize it came from the television and it was just from a movie. I look at around once again and realize there's light streaming in through the window blinds, so I carefully move Ella off of my shoulder so I can get up. I replace the blanket that slipped off of my mom and walk into the kitchen to check the time and possibly get something to eat. The clock only says 7:00 am so I don't have to wake Anyone up for another forty-five minutes. I decide to take a 15 minute shower and cook breakfast before anyone else gets up.

As I'm setting the plates up for breakfast, I hear Jeb's alarm for work go off. Not a minute later, he comes lumbering into the kitchen.

"Morning, Jebbers. I made you all breakfast." I say and walk over to give him a kiss on the cheek. He gives his gratitude in the form of an incoherent mumble and starts to get cups to get everyone their preferred morning drinks. Before I completely leave the kitchen, I can smell the coffee already starting to brew. Jeb never was a morning person unless he had at least 1 cup of coffee.

I hear Ella trip on something as I walk into the living room to wake her up. She smiles at my amused expression and makes her way to the bathroom to get ready for school. Mom has somehow found her way to the floor. That's probably what Ella tripped over, I think to myself as I walk over to the couch and gently kick her in the ribs.

"Wake up, mom. It's time to get ready for work." I say when she just grumbles and lazily swats at my calf. I kick her again, this time in the head, and she finally relents.

"I'm uuuuuup. Jeez, treating your mom like a piece of furniture. You kick furniture, not people. Wait, what? No, don't kick my furniture or I'll kick you. I'm not supposed to kick people either, though. Oh my goodness. I am so confused…" I laugh at her babbling nonsense and tell her that breakfast is on the table. I hear Ella calling me from somewhere upstairs so I rush up the steps and find her in my room, sorting through my clothes. As quietly as I can I back out of the room but it's too late. She already spotted me. "Ella…"

"Maaaaaax…"

"No."

"Yes."

"NO," despite my protests, Ella walks towards me and pulls me all the way into the room. She then proceeds to shut and lock the door thus leaving me no escape. I reluctantly put on the outfit she had chosen for me and went back downstairs to work on my homework while Ella continued getting ready.

"Max," my mom said urgently, "I need you to come home after school because I have to work late so you have to be here to let my mom in. She decided she would come and visit yesterday." She gave me a look of sympathy when I groaned in frustration. It was obvious that Grandma Martinez didn't like me. I was very different from Ella, after all. There was also the fact that I had to go to Iggy's place after school to work on our English project.

I gathered all of my stuff when I heard Ella come down the stairs and told her the news. She was only upset that she couldn't go to the mall, but quickly brightened when mom said Grandma would most likely take her. I ushered her out the door and into the car and we made our way to school.

During first period, I talked to Iggy and Fang about our English project. I told them about my mandatory last minute plans for the day so we would have to work on it tomorrow and today if she gave us time in class. It was hard to agree on this for sure since Lissa didn't have that class with us and we only all had her during 5th which was our English class. We couldn't meet at Iggy's this time so they suggested a local diner which I readily agreed to. Nothing better than food to add a few perks to homework, I always say.

It was the end of the day and I was waiting for Ella outside.

"Looking for someone?" A voice asked. I quickly looked over and saw Fang standing there, smirking down at me. I gave a small smile and rolled my eyes but said yes, none the less.

"I'm waiting for Ella to finish with whatever the hell she's doing." I said. Fang chose that moment to sit down next to me where I was perched against a large oak tree. We sat in a comfortable silence for a minute when Fang decided to speak up. "You're really cute Max, you know that?" He asked which made in turn, made me blush.

"Uh, thank you? I, um, I mean… Thanks. Yeah. Thank you." I stammered out only causing myself to blush even more. He laughed at me and tried to discretely move closer to me.

"I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I heard a bunch of guys say it so I figured you'd want to know. You're the talk of the school." This really surprised me. I've never really seen myself as… cute. I guess I'd call myself pretty but definitely NOT cute. That was more of Ella in my opinion. I decided to play it off and reply,

"Well, apparently you're Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. Or was it Tall, Dark and Mysterious?" He scoffed at this.

"That's just a bunch of shit that the cheerleaders say when they're "Talking about Booooys." He said the last part with a 'valley girl accent' which made me laugh so hard, I could feel my lungs constricting from lack of air and I had little black dots dancing around in my eyes. That was something I would never expect from him. It was after I had calmed down that I saw Ella leaving the building. I stood up, as did Fang, and we just stared at one another for a few seconds before Fang leaned towards me and kissed my cheek; my face immediately felt like it were on fire. He smirked at me and took a step back.

"I'll see you tomorrow Max. By the way, I think you're cute, too." With that, he walked away. Ella skipped over to me and dragged me towards the car. She was rambling about her day so luckily, she didn't notice the faint blush that I could still feel heating my face.

We soon got home with enough time to cook dinner when Grandma Martinez arrived. As always, she gushed over Ella while being civil towards me but making it obvious she could care less if I were in her presence. We had to entertain her for an entire hour before Mom and Jeb returned home. She was apparently staying for a few days and offered to take Ella shopping tomorrow. Ella, being the sweetheart that she is, asked if I could come along on their trip. Grandma looked displeased at the request so I quickly told them I already had plans. After that, I decided I had to go upstairs to my room before I said something I regretted. It made me so irritated when the old hag started smiling once again when I said I couldn't go.

I turned on television but kept it on mute so I could finish my homework. Afterwards, I changed into my pajamas, laid down and went to sleep. This was going to be a stressful week.

That night, I dreamed of a certain boy that was called Fang.

The next day at school, I could feel the nervousness start to consume me. I had talked to Fang earlier about the change of plans and he told me that we would be meeting up to work on our project after school at a local diner called 'Betty's' before we went to Iggy's house to relax. I was pretty familiar with the place so I agreed to show up after I dropped Ella off at home. In all truthfulness, it was just my way of stalling. Ella could have easily caught a ride with Angel and/or Nudge but I wanted to hold off on meeting up as long as I could. It all had to do with the predatory leer that Fang was giving while we talked. He didn't know I noticed but it was almost as if he was undressing and ravishing me in his mind. That's probably exactly what he was doing.  
>It was weird.<p>

I walked into my last class of the day, Trigonometry, already emotionally and physically exhausted. Physically because I had my first experience with the admittedly scary gym coach, Coach Pedo, as we called him. His real name was Christopher Pledo but the way he stared at us girls AND boys, the name seemed to fit. I was emotionally exhausted from my slightly confused feelings. I had talked to Iggy a lot during lunch and I could tell the he was a generally nice and funny Guy and a total sweetheart. Blah. What a girlish word, but he really was. He told me about how he found a kitten on the street and named him 'Timmy NumNums.' It made me laugh so hard that milk came out of my nose... which caused my nose to start bleeding and for me to be rushed to the nurse.  
>By Fang.<p>

While I was in the nurse's office, Fang and I started talking a little more. He never mentioned what happened the day before, which I was thankful for. He seemed like a nice guy, too. His humor consisted more of sarcasm and dry humor which was somewhat like mine. We both agreed that sarcasm was the best form of figurative language. I was excused from my next class so after I left the nurse, I had went straight to my locker and got my stuff for last period. I was one of the first people to get there- where I currently am in the story... I mean in my life.

I sat down in my seat and started copying down the notes that were on the board that I would need. That was my favorite part about my Social Studies teacher. She always had the notes on board beforehand to make things simpler. I had another five minutes until the bell rang and it would be another five before she started class so I would have plenty of time to finish copying the notes.

Sure enough, after seven minutes, all of my notes are done so I put my head done to rest my sore head and body. I was startled awake by the booming sound of the teacher's voice announcing the plans for the day. Trig was exceptionally easy for me so I just drifted in and out of sleep until the final bell rang and class was dismissed. I went to the teacher's desk to get tonight's home work and then went to my locker to get my homework from my other classes.

When I walked outside, Ella was already waiting for me which ruined my hopes of delaying the meeting for a little longer. She was only there to tell me that Grandma Martinez was picking her up so she could take her to the mall. Great, that meant I could go to the diner right away. I slowly walked to my car and loaded everything in the back and made started in the opposite direction of home. Dread was slowly building with every second that passed as I drove towards the diner where chaos was bound to break loose the moment I entered. _Why does this stuff always have to happen to me?_

**This is the official chapter 7. I hope you guys like it and I really want to apologize for taking so long to update. I won't make any promises about constant weekly updates so I'm hoping to update maybe every other week? I've also edited a few chapters and I'm working on revising the story, completely. Anyways, reviews would be greatly appreciated! Until next time!**


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